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Prednisone effects??

So, i had to go on prednisone (currently on remicade aswell) back in may month, started on 50 mg/day for seven days, and honestly didn't have a great response. I think things did improve, but definitely not remision like, still had symptoms? Saw my specialist, he insisted I try another dose of 40mg x 1 week, with a five mg taper per week untill finished. Again, poor response, symptoms improved but still dealing with pain, small amounts of blood, and 4-5 times a day. So I was almost tapered off, and I had a camping trip planned and things were getting worse, 7-8 times in the morning with blood and pain, so I thought, I'll do the 40 mg prednisone untill I get home, at least it will be somewhat better. First day I went back to 40mg, I suddenly am normal again. Normal stool, no blood, no pain, once a day kinda thing. So great! now I'm tapered to 5mg again, tomorow will be my last day. But now I have a colonoscopy booked for August (Doc refused to up my remicade untill he could look at my colon), but things feel normal. Hopefully it holds. But why wouldn't the pred work initially?? strange, anybody ever have that happen??
 

Jennifer

Adminstrator
Staff member
Location
SLO
No I've never had that happen but it doesn't really sound that odd (only thing that sounds odd to me is tapering off the Prednisone before you're feeling better i.e. no pain or bleeding). I think its possible that the Prednisone was helping but you probably needed to be on it much longer. Being on it for a week with those symptoms isn't going to do too much but it must have done a little, same with going on it again for a short time. So if the first couple times healed it a little then going on a third time might have helped it much more (I wish completely). Its possible that things may go back to being as bad (I hope not though) if it wasn't healed completely, so I hope you get the treatment you need soon.
 
I really didn't feel the prednisone was helping, and with it's side effects I really didn't see the point of being on it. Remicade carries enough of it's own risks...I get frustrated, I don't want to use steroids, and if remicade isn't cutting it, I'd sooner face a more serious step such as resection, rather than head toward glaucoma or osteoporosis with repeated steroid use.
 

Jennifer

Adminstrator
Staff member
Location
SLO
After a resection we have a greater risk of developing more issues in the future with Crohn's making it more likely to need another resection and then other which can result in short bowel syndrome or even a stoma. A resection is not a cure (and neither is a stoma) but a last resort and I know the medications out there currently all have possible terrible side effects but its really the best science has to offer right now. There are other steroids out there besides Prednisone you could try such as Entocort and many other medications as well.
 
my issues are all in my sigmoid colon, entocort typically isn't effective for that section, pretty sure it releases in the ileum, or so I've read. I have heard positive feedback regarding surgery, and in all honesty I don't have typical crohn's symptoms, though that is what they have diagnosed me with...anyway, just tired of all this.
 
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